Towel-rack.



L. STRAUB.

TOWEL RACK.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12. 1911.

1,281,695; Patented Oct. 15, 1918.

INVENTOR. A 0/6 6 TBA 05 -m KW BY Sm retest ram "Louis means, or DENVER, COLORADO.

TOWEL-RAGK.

I To all whom z 't may concern:

1 inthe county of Denver and State of Colorado, haveinvented' certain new and useful Improvements in Towel Racks; of which thefollowingtis a specification.

,Thisinvention relates to towel racks of the jtype used principally in public lavatories, to provide in connection with a sultable holder, a number of. separately accessible towelswhichare locked against unauthorized removal. I

V Ariackofthe character specifiedhasbeen shownand described in my LettersrPatent No.1038 98/hissued September 17, 1912 and it. is theflprimary object ofthe present, 1nvention to provide certain lmprovements which ;greatly advance the usefulness and pr ticab lity s fd i Principal among these improvements 1s a towehholding link which is separable from the stationarypart of; the rack to which t is normally secured hy lock-controlled means. 7 (The link 'when ,fastened on the stationary element of the invention holds the towels in a positiontfor ready'separate use, and when removed from theelernent, is employed to arr h t wel eclle tiv ly t r the-, laundry or other place of; supply. :Th eiabove and other objects all of whlch willlfull y appear the-course of the fol- WinsQdeser-ivtbm ar atu by vthe bination'si of parts; and features of construction illustratedin'the accompanying drawings in the various views; of which l ke parts are similarly designated, and in wh ch I "lFigure l representsza face view of my improved towel rack in ts operative position' Fig 2; a section takenalong the line 2- -2, Fill- "v %ig. .3, an elevation of the towel holding link'separate frpmlthe rack, with the lock- -J nsin t p s t n heyb py w the link andthe therewith connected towels ar a f iedlir9m e5r 1m to h Referring more specifically to the drawings, n1 y invention comprises a stationary element composed of a pairof brackets which ;may; be secured to a wall or other suitable support, a shelf; 3 rlg-idly fastened the brackets, and ahookf for the sus- Specification of Letters Ia-tent.

Patented 0013 15, e s.

Application filed. A ril 12, 1917. Serial no. 161,427.

The hook has at its lower end an upwardlyiprojecting stud Gland the shelfhas in alinement therewith an apertureF-to-receive the end of a towel-link suspended from the hook as will hereinafter be described. U-shaped apertured plates 8 ;Eastened beneath the shelf are:pr0vided to increase the rigidity of the hook and the end-of. the link inserted through the opening'7.

The towel holding device of my invention consistsof a .rod :bent in the--form-o f an oblonglinkthe vends of which are separated to provide an entrance 9sfor the edge ofthe shelf when the linkis placed upon -the stationary rack or removed therefrom.

The end of the rod; fwhich thelinkis composed' below this entrance, isj bent into a laterally projecting eye -;10 made to fit upon the.upwardly projecting stud on the hooksuspended frornthe shelf and the opposite end 12 of the rod isalined with this eye to enter the opening 7 in the shelf which as stated hereinbefore jis alined with the A pad-lock 13 is attached at the end of a chain 14 which at its opposite' end is'securely fastened to the link adjacent its laterally projectin-g eye, and the'stud on the hook has adjacent its upper end a transverse opening 15 adapted to receive thebow of the lock. r I a .Thetowels 16 used in connection with a rack of the herein described --construction are provided, preferably near one of their corners, with eyelets '17 bushed with-metal gromets through which the link; isinserted.

In the operation of my invention a number of towels are strung on the" link by inserting the straight end 12 thereof through the eyelets 17. -This is preferably don'ezin the laundry or storeroomfrom which the clean towels are obtained and after a sulficientnumber of-towels have thus'beensuspended from the link thelock is applied to the side thereof opposite to .thatyat which theg chain is attached, as shownin Fig. 3', to prevent unauthorized persons 7 from: removingvthetowels,

The links and the towels thus-held'thereon are distributed among the different lavatories equipped: with racks; of the construction; herein described and -;each link 7 is*- secured to the respective rack-by first inserting the edge lof the .shelfthereof through the aperture in the end of the stud 6 as illustrated in Fig. 2. After the llnk has thus been secured on the stationary rack the towels may be moved upwardly along the outer portion of the link and piled upon the shelf 3'. Y

After each towel is used it is naturally returned to its suspended position and when all the towels are soiled thelink is removed from the rack by reversing the above-explained operation, and another link holding clean towels, is put in its place.

It will thus be seen that by the use of my invention the time-taking work of placing the towels separately on the rack as was required in the use of the device shown in the 7 before-mentioned patent, is entirely avoided and the interchange of clean and soiled towels thereby greatly expedited.

My invention furthermore tends to prevent loss of towels by carelessness or dishonesty of employees of the concern by which the towels are supplied, and the towels connected with the link of the rack by a single eyelet, are more readily adjusted and easier used than those which were secured by two eyelets, as in the prior constructi on. 1

Having thus described the construction and operation of my improved towel rack, I desire it understood that if so desired two or more towel holding links may be secured tothe same shelf and that other variations in theconstruction and arrangement of the parts of the rack may be resorted to within the spiritof my invention as set forth in the following claims: f

1. A towel-rack comprising in combina tion, a support including a projecting member provided with an aperture, a stud below said aperture, and a towel-holding link having an entrance to admit said member,

said link at one side of said entrance having an end adapted to enter said aperture, and at the opposite side of the same, an eye to receive the stud.

-2. A towehrack'comprising in combination, a support including ap'rojecting member provided with an aperture, and a stud n. alinement with said aperture, and a towel-holding link having an entrance to receive said member, said link'at one side of said entrance having an end adapted-to oner said-aperture, and atithe opposite side ofjthesame, an eye to receive the stud, and

of the same, an eye to receive the stud, saidstud having means for the application of a lock whereby to prevent unauthorized removal of the link from saidsupport.

4. A towel-rack comprising in combination, a support including a projecting member provided with an aoerture,and a stud in alinement with said aperture,-a towelholding link having an entrance to'receive said member, said link at one side of said en trance having an end adapted to enter said aperture, and at the opposite side of the same, an eye to receive the stud, and a chain fastened at one side of the link and adapted to be locked either to the opposite side of the same to prevent unauthorized removal of towels from the link, or to the stud to prevent unauthorized removal of the from the support.

5. In a towel-holder, a link having a gap for the insertion of one of its endsinto' the apertures of apertured towels, a support for the link, and an adjustable locking-means which in one of its adjusted positions extends across the link at one side of its gap to prevent the removal of towels strungthereon, and which in another adjusted position cooperates with-the support to prevent the removal of the link.

6. A towel-holder lcomprising a rigid link having a permanent gap for the'insertion of one of itsends into the apertures ,of apertured towels 'and'adapted to separately hold a bunch oftowels for carrying them to and from a stationary support, anda'support adapted to removably hold said link in a determinate position, a part of said support bridging the gap of the link whereby to prevent the removal of towels from the link'and the support when the one is in place on the other.

'7. A towel-holder comprising alink having a gap for theinsertion of one ofits ends into the apertures of "apertured-towels, a support adapted to hold the link in a determmate position, jand: adjustable locking means adapted'to either cooperate with the support tosecure the link against unauthorized removal orto obstructithe removalof towels from thelink when it is separated from the support.

s. In a towel-holder, the eeinbinatibadf a link having a permanent gapfori'the in; sertlon of one-of its ends into the apertures of apertured towels-,fand' atoneside'of said gap, a lateral projection, and a support In testimony whereof I have affixed my adapted to clioldlthe link in a determinate signature in presence of tWo Witnesses. position an inc uding a part which cooperates with the projection of the link for LOUIS STRAUB' 5 the support thereof and which bridges the Witnesses:

gap of the link to prevent the unauthorized. G. J. ROLLANDET, removal of towels strung thereon. L. RHOADES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

